St. Louis, Mo. – Defending St. Louis Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SLIAC) champion Webster University has been
chosen as the pre-season favorite in the SLIAC Baseball Pre-Season
Coaches' Poll. The Gorloks received eight first place votes
and had a total of 64 points.

Webster has won six straight regular season SLIAC titles
and has captured six SLIAC Tournament Championships in the
past eight years. The Gorloks posted a 36-14 overall record
and 20-4 in conference play last season. Head coach
Bill Kurich returns a strong contingent of players
from last year's squad that won their first NCAA DIII Regional
Championship and went on to post a 1-2 record at the NCAA DIII
Championships in Grand Chute, Wis. Three-time First Team All-SLIAC
centerfielder, Cody Stevenson, returns after
hitting .289 in 2012 with 52 hits, 20 RBI and going 59-of-63 in
stolen base attempts. The Gorloks also return Second Team All-SLIAC
infielder Taylor Stoulp and left-handed
pitcher Isaac Behme. Stoulp, a junior, was second
on the Gorloks squad last season with a .372 batting average and
had 74 hits, 13 doubles and 42 RBI. Behme, a sophomore, finished
2012 with a 2.21 ERA in 69.1 innings on the mound. He posted a 6-2
record and made nine starts, with two complete games and one
shutout. Behme also struck out a total of 50 batters.

Spalding University made a strong showing in the regular season
finishing 29-10-1 overall and 17-7 in SLIAC play. The Golden
Eagles are post-season eligible for the first time in 2013 and were
chosen to once again finish second by the league coaches. Junior
Derek Ferch returns at shortstop after earning
First Team All-SLIAC honors in 2012. He hit .388 with a team-high
54 hits and added 10 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 27
RBI. Senior pitcher Kyle Hudson will look to
anchor the Golden Eagles pitching staff this season. Hudson earned
Honorable Mention All-SLIAC honors last year and finished the
season with a 2.35 ERA in 57.1 innings pitched, a 5-3 record and 53
strikeouts.

Greenville College and Fontbonne University were chosen third
and fourth respectively in the SLIAC Pre-Season poll.
Greenville finished fourth in the SLIAC standings last season with
a record of 14-9 and 17-22 overall. Fontbonne finished in third
place with a 16-8 record in conference and made it to the SLIAC
Tournament Championship game against Webster. The Griffins will
look to pitchers Drew Schelerth and Jacob
Becker. Schelerth, a senior, earned First Team All-SLIAC
last season and had 53 strikeouts in 77.1 innings of work, along
with four complete games and one shutout. Becker, a junior,
recorded 54 strikeouts in 2012 and pitched 68.1 innings and had
three complete games. The Panthers return two All-SLIAC players
from a year ago in senior third baseman, Kenny
Trager, and sophomore first baseman, Ryan
Smith. Trager was a First Team honoree and posted a .333
batting average with 44 hits and 28 RBI. Smith was Honorable
Mention and hit .312 at the plate with 34 hits, 19 RBI and seven
home runs.

MacMurray College was picked to finish fifth this season after
placing last in the regular season standings with a 6-18 conference
record in 2012. The Highlanders have Second Team All-SLIAC catcher,
sophomore Aaron Krummrich, returning after leading
the squad with a .330 batting average, including 32 hits, 12
doubles and 22 RBI. Senior outfielder, Jordan
Phillips, a 2012 Honorable Mention All-SLIAC selection,
also returns with a .314 average, 37 hits, 11 doubles and 23
RBI.

Westminster College (Mo.), who was chosen to finish sixth,
posted an 11-13 record in SLIAC play in 2012 and was one of four
teams to qualify for the SLIAC Tournament. Senior pitcher
Tyler Ten Eyck returns for the Blue Jays and will
look to improve upon his 6-5 record and 52 strikeouts. Junior
shortstop Danton Hughes also returns and will look
to once again lead the squad offensively; he posted a .331 batting
average, 46 hits and 21 RBI last season.

Blackburn College and Eureka College were selected to
finish seventh and eighth by the SLIAC coaches, with only four
points separating the two teams. Blackburn will look to
juniors Donny Fuhrhop, a centerfielder, and
Franklin Bush, a shortstop, to provide leadership
on the field. Fuhrhop hit .341 with 47 hits, six triples and 19
RBI, and Bush returns to the field after sitting out last season.
Eureka will be strong up the middle with Grant
DeWitt and Eric Cuevas returning at
shortstop and second base respectively. DeWitt also led the Red
Devils at the plate with a .356 average and 48 hits.

Principia College rounds out the pre-season poll in the ninth
spot. Sophomore Gavin Thomas returns after a solid
freshman campaign in which he earned Honorable Mention
All-Conference. He posted a 2-1 record on the mound and had a 2.12
ERA in 29.2 innings of work, along with 23 strikeouts. He also hit
.314 at the plate with 43 hits, 10 doubles and 22 RBI. Sophomore
Spencer Clevenger will make the move to shortstop
this season for Principia and brings back a .311 batting average
with 42 hits.